Child's name writing educational practice and learning tool and keepsake

Abstract

An educational tool for teaching children to write their full name with properly formed letters for the first time, including a system for creating a remembrance of such event wherein the actual occurrence of the child's first name writing is saved and converted into a keepsake or remembrance item.

1. A learning device for facilitating a child practicing writing the letters of their name and then writing their name for the first time, and for memorializing such event comprising:
 (a) a plurality of learning and practice sheets secured together along one edge by a binding means, each of said sheets containing information relating to a letter in the name of a child, said sheets being arranged serially in order according to the child's name, the information arranged in facing sheets with at least one of said facing sheets being provided with a graphic representation of a finished letter, each of said sheets additionally containing at least one work area for practicing the manual strokes required to form the letter with a writing tool by tracing of said letter and then practicing writing the letter without tracing; 
 (b) at least one final practice sheet connected to said plurality of learning and practice sheets for the child to practice writing their name, said final practice sheet containing at least one practice area having a graphic representation of the child's name which can be traced by the child; and 
 (c) a keepsake sheet connected to the plurality of learning and practice sheets and final practice sheet having a writing area for the child to write his or her name without assistance for the first time, said writing area including a ruled section in a single row sized according to the length of the child's name, the keepsake sheet being detachable from the plurality of learning and practice sheets and final practice sheets and adapted for memorializing the event of said child writing his or her name for the first time. 
 
     
     
       2. A learning device in accordance with  claim 1  additionally comprising a self-erasing surface provided in at least said work area of the plurality of learning and practice sheets and said practice area of the at least one final practice sheet. 
     
     
       3. A learning device in accordance with  claim 2  in which at least the writing area of the keepsake sheet has a surface adapted for permanent fixation of said written name. 
     
     
       4. A learning device in accordance with  claim 3  additionally comprising a transparent covering detachably secured over at least the writing area of the keepsake sheet. 
     
     
       5. A learning device in accordance with  claim 3  additionally comprising images of physical objects on said plurality of learning and practice sheets in which the names of said physical objects when pronounced start with or form the same sound the letter to be practiced on said sheets. 
     
     
       6. A learning device in accordance with  claim 5  in which one or more of the images of physical objects are repeated on the final practice sheet and keepsake sheet and are positioned in close proximity to the same letters of said name on said plurality of learning and practice sheets. 
     
     
       7. A learning device in accordance with  claim 5  in which the proper form of the letter to be practiced on each of said plurality of learning and practice sheets is illustrated, and in addition said illustration including representational lines indicating the direction and order of the strokes to make to form the letter by freehand reproduction with a writing tool. 
     
     
       8. A learning device in accordance with  claim 7  in which the practice area of said at least one final practice sheet additionally comprises drafting lines illustrating the line writing direction and sequence for each letter in the graphic representation of the child's name. 
     
     
       9. A learning device in accordance with  claim 2  in which the plurality of learning and practice sheets and final practice sheet are provided with a dry erase surface, and additionally comprising at least one dry erase pen. 
     
     
       10. A learning device in accordance with  claim 9  in which the keepsake sheet additionally comprises an area for recording the date the child wrote his or her name on said keepsake sheet. 
     
     
       11. A learning device in accordance with  claim 1  that is customizable for use with any name in any language. 
     
     
       12. A system for gradually teaching a child to write and spell his or her name and for recording the first occurrence of said child writing his or her name, comprising a workbook containing a plurality of serially ordered individual practice sheets according to the letters of the child's name, each of said individual practice sheets having an area on which a child can practice forming at least one of the letters of his or her name with different levels of assistance, a final practice sheet having at least one area for a child to practice writing his or her name by tracing, and a removable remembrance sheet having an area sized for the child after having completed the serially ordered individual practice sheets and final practice sheet to write his or her name in permanent ink a single time and for the first time, which remembrance sheet memorializes such event and is adapted to be removed from the workbook and converted into a framable keepsake item. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12  additionally comprising a protective covering secured over the area of the remembrance sheet where the child will write his or her name in permanent ink, which covering protects such area from being marked or damaged during letter writing practice sessions, and which covering is removed shortly before the child is ready to write his or her name on the remembrance sheet. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 12  in which the serially ordered practice sheets and final practice sheets have an erasable surface allowing for repeated use of the sheets as many times as needed by a child. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14  in which the ordered practice sheets additionally comprise a graphic representation of a finished letter, a pronunciation key, at least one ruled area to practice for tracing and then writing the letter using a writing utensil, said ruled area containing a plurality of spaces, at least one of said plurality of spaces containing a graphic representation of the letter including arrows illustrating the proper direction strokes required to form the letter, at least one of said plurality of spaces containing a lighter graphic representation of the letter including said proper stroke direction arrows, at least two of said plurality of spaces containing a lighter graphic representation of the letter adapted for tracing said letter without containing said proper stroke direction arrows, and at least one of said plurality of spaces including the rightmost space being blank, and at least one graphic image of a physical object representative of a word related to the letter being learned and practiced on said sheet. 
     
     
       16. A method for creating a keepsake item of the occurrence of a child writing his or her name for the first time comprising a workbook having a plurality of serially ordered practice sheets according to the letters of the child's name each having an area on which a child can practice forming one of the letters of his or her name, a final practice sheet having at least one area for a child to practice writing his or her complete name by tracing, and a removable remembrance sheet having an area particularly sized to receive the name of the child, said method being comprised of the steps of:
 (a) the child practicing writing each of the individual letters of his or her name using the ordered practice sheets; 
 (b) the child practicing writing the letters of his or her complete name using the final practice sheet; 
 (c) the child writing his or her complete name in permanent ink on the remembrance sheet; 
 (d) removing the remembrance sheet from the workbook; 
 (e) retaining said remembrance sheet as a keepsake item suitable for framing. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16  additionally comprising the step of:
 (e) prior to writing on the remembrance sheet removing a protective covering applied to the writing area of said remembrance sheet. 
 
     
     
       18. A learning device in accordance with  claim 1  additionally comprising a plurality of spaces in said writing area with a number equal to the number of letters in the name of the child. 
     
     
       19. A learning device in accordance with  claim 18  in which the width of each of the plurality of spaces varies according to the letter to be received in said space.